PURPOSE
This policy outlines Global Leadership Institute’s (GLI) student admission principles and processes.

PRINCIPLES
GLI aims to ensure that students are appropriately prepared for their chosen course by:

• considering applicants regardless of gender, race, national origin, marital status, or disability;
• ensuring GLI is compliant under all relevant legislative standards and regulatory frameworks;
• maintaining and publishing on the GLI website clear, current, and accurate admissions criteria or alternative pathway requirements approved in the accredited course;
• informing current and prospective students of their rights and obligations prior to application and payment of fees;
• considering applicants for admission based on merit through prior study but may be reconsidered on educational, professional experience or disadvantage ground;
• ensuring admission decisions are fair, consistent, transparent, ethical, and timely, making study accessible to a diverse range of current and prospective students;
• ensuring admission decisions are based on professional judgement of academic achievement, ability, academic preparation, and English language proficiency criteria for successful student participation, progression, and completion of intended studies;
• ensuring applicants are properly identified, usually through sighting of original birth certificate or passport (or certified copies);
• consistency of admission decisions across all delivery sites through the online application form;
• ensuring original academic award documents (or certified copies) are sighted. It is a condition of application that the applicant must provide permission for LI to verify with the issuing institution the academic qualifications and/or transcript(s) of academic record presented by the applicant;
• ensuring evidence of the necessary academic preparation and proficiency in English required
• ensuring applicants are properly identified, usually through sighting of original birth certificate or passport (or certified copies);
• sighting original academic award documents (or certified copies) and, where relevant, curriculum vitae, character references, and/or employers’ testimonials. It is a condition of application that the applicant must provide permission for GLI to verify with the issuing institution the academic qualifications and/or transcripts(s) of academic record presented by the applicant;
• ensuring the relevant Program Director or delegated representative is satisfied that the applicant has appropriate professional experience if required in admission criteria;
• ensuring international applicants who apply based on overseas qualifications are considered for selection against standards that are comparable to the requirement for the relevant course for the year of entry;
• ensuring that international students satisfy Genuine Student and Genuine Temporary Entrant requirements in accordance with Department of Home Affairs regulations;
• publishing on the GLI website clear, current, and accurate admissions criteria, and informing current and prospective students of their rights and obligations prior to application and payment of fees;
• facilitating credit or recognition of prior learning where relevant;

Applicants who provide false or misleading information on their application for admission, or who withhold information relevant to their application for admission to a course, may have their application for admission cancelled or, where an offer of admission has been made, have their offer of admission withdrawn.

ENTRY REQUIREMENTS
An applicant is qualified for admission to an GLI course if they:

• have access to computer and internet facilities to view the unit content, undertake research, and submit assessments. Applicants are advised before admission that computer and internet literacy and access are essential skills;
• satisfy all the relevant minimum requirements as prescribed in the course or satisfy the requirements for an alternative pathway and/or hold a qualification approved by the Program Director or delegated representative to be at least equivalent to the entrance requirements. An interview with the Program Director or delegated representative may be required for alternative pathway categories to ascertain the applicant’s suitability for the course;
• comply with all GLI policies related to current and prospective students and comply with conditions placed on admission and enrolment;
• pay all relevant fees by the specified due date;
• for international students on a visa, comply with the conditions of their visa.

Applicants who do not meet minimum entry requirements for admission may be considered for admission to single units or participate in an entry-pathway program admission.

ALTERNATIVE ENTRY
Admission criteria may be reconsidered on educational disadvantage grounds if the applicant meets one or more of the following criteria:

• carer responsibilities;
• financial hardship;
• language and/or learning difficulties;
• disrupted schooling;
• regional or remote disadvantage;
• long-term medical condition/disability or ongoing effects of abuse;
• First Nations Peoples descent where the normal entry path has not been followed.

For alternative entry applicants based on educational disadvantage grounds there are several pathways, including:

• prior educational experience e.g. awards, certificates, and other evidence;
• evidence of a Special Tertiary Admissions Test (STAT) for First Nations Peoples;
• provisional entry i.e. the student must successfully complete the first four core units.

Alternative pathway applications are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the relevant Program Director. A student in this category may be placed on provisional entry for the first semester as deemed appropriate by the Program Director.

PROFESSIONAL ENTRY
Potential students applying based on professional entry into an AQF Level 8 course must demonstrate a minimum five years’ relevant professional experience in a managerial or leadership role in a relevant field. This is supported by a current curriculum vitae that summarises education and work history, a statement from at least one employer that describes the scope of management or leadership responsibility, and a statement of 500 words that outlines the reasons for enrolling in the course.

Professional entry applications are evaluated on a case-by-case basis by the Program Director (or delegated representative).

STUDY LOAD
A normal full-time study load is four units, or 40 credit points, per semester (80 credit points per year). International students on student visas must maintain a full-time study load. Commencing international students should undertake four units in their first semester. Any variations to the study load must be approved by the relevant Program Director.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS
International onshore students require a Confirmation of Enrolment (CoE) certificate to apply for a student visa. This CoE is issued by the Registrar only after all requirements, including Academic Entry requirements and Genuine Temporary Entrant (GTE) requirements, have been satisfied, and the student has paid the first semester’s fees in full.

International Student Transfer
In accordance with the National Code 2018, international onshore students who have not completed the first six months of their principal course must request a transfer to another provider in accordance with the procedures outlined below. GLI will assess each request for transfer in line with the stipulations included in this policy and, where a request for transfer is approved, will record the date of effect and reason for release in PRISMS. Successful applications will meet the Circumstances in which Transfers will be Granted, as outlined below, and will include a valid enrolment offer from the receiving provider.

A request for release will be issued at no cost to the student and will advise the student of the need to contact Department of Home Affairs to seek advice on whether a new student visa is required.

International students enrolled at GLI who complete the first six calendar months of their principal course are free to transfer to another provider and do not require approval of release. The first six months of the principal course is calculated as six calendar months from the date of commencement of the principal course. The principal course is usually the final course a student will undertake with the provider.

Circumstances in which transfers will be granted
A request from an international onshore student to transfer to another provider is assessed and approved by the Registrar. GLI will obtain transfer requests where the transfer is in the student’s best interests, including but not limited to:

• the student can provide evidence that reasonable expectations about the current course are not being met;
• the course has not been delivered as per the written agreement;
• there is evidence that the student was misled by the registered provider or education or migration agent regarding the provider and its course and the course is therefore unsuitable to their needs and/or study objectives;
• there are other compassionate or compelling reasons for the transfer:
• an appeal on another matter results in a decision or recommendation to release the international student;
• the international student will be reported because they are unable to achieve satisfactory course progress at the level they are studying, even after engaging with GLI’s intervention strategy.

Circumstances in which transfers will be refused

• the transfer may jeopardise the student’s progression through a package of courses;
• the student has recently started studying the course and the full range of support services are yet to be provided or offered to the student.

Where a transfer or release is refused, the student is provided with written reasons for refusing the request and informed of their right to appeal the decision through the Student Grievance and Appeals Policy processes within 20 working days.

Accepting International Student Transfers
Under the National Code, GLI is restricted from enrolling a transferring international onshore student before the student has completed six months of the principal course, except where:

1. the original registered provider has ceased to be registered or the course in which the student is enrolled has ceased to be registered;
2. the original registered provider has provided release, and recorded the date of effect and reason for release within PRISMS;
3. the original registered provider has had a sanction imposed on its registration by an Australian federal or state government or territory that prevents the student from continuing the principal course, or;
4. any government sponsor of the student considers the change to be in the student’s best interest and has provided written support for that change.

Scope

All students and prospective students

Key Stakeholder

All current and prospective students

Proceedure

ADMISSION PROCEDURE

Step One:

• applicant first submits the GLI Application Form for the course.
• processes for establishing applicant identification are published as part of the application process.
• The applicant must provide permission for GLI to verify the academic qualifications and/or transcript(s) of academic record presented by the applicant with the issuing institution (except where GLI has issued qualification and/or transcript).

Step Two:

• The Registrar (or delegated representative) will ensure mandatory sighting of original documents (or certified copies in some cases).
• In the case of an overseas applicant the age will be checked against the applicant’s passport.
• The admissions process will ensure satisfactory fulfilment of academic and other essential admissions requirements for the course as stipulated in the accreditation documents.
• If an applicant satisfactorily meets the above criteria and provides the relevant documents, they are sent a Conditional Offer.

Step Three:

• Meeting Conditional Offer requirement, the student is then offered an Unconditional Letter of Offer.
• To accept the offer, students must complete and sign the Unconditional Letter of Offer, then return it together with payment for the fees due in advance (if required).
• On receipt of a written offer of admission to a course, an applicant must follow the instructions on the written offer and: accept or decline the offer.
• Prospective students should refer to the Fee Refund Policy before signing an acceptance of offer.

Step Four:

• When a student has successfully met the admission requirements and signed the Unconditional Letter of Offer, the student is admitted.
• For international applicants, GLI will enrol the applicant on PRISMS, and issue a CoE letter, which is needed to apply for an Australian student visa.

The admission process is deemed completed when an applicant has accepted an offer of admission, signed a Student Agreement, and enrolled in units.

GLI reserves the right to withdraw an offer of admission or cancel the enrolment of an applicant where an offer is made in error or is made based on incomplete, inaccurate, fraudulent, or misleading information supplied by the applicant or certifying authority. In such cases, fees paid may be forfeited.

REVIEWING OVERSEAS QUALIFICATIONS
Where necessary, GLI verifies the authenticity and Australian equivalence of overseas qualifications through Australian Education International (AEI) within the Department of Education. These are appraised under a twofold procedure:

• referral to AEI directories or officers for advice is the starting point for all applications for student admission that are predicated on overseas qualifications;
• where sufficient information or advice from AEI is either insufficient or obtainable in relation to the relevant qualification(s), such applications are eligible for consideration under alternative pathways by the relevant Program Director.

ADMISSION REFUSAL
GLI may refuse admission, even if the applicant has met the entry requirements, if the applicant has:

• been deemed unlikely to cope academically;
• outstanding fees with the Institute;
• been excluded from another educational institute;
• displayed conduct (including criminal activity or ethical misconduct) that would provide reasonable grounds to exclude the applicant.

Applicants who have met the entry requirements, but have been excluded from any other educational institution, will need to demonstrate that circumstances have changed such that they are likely to succeed in the course. The Administration Manager will send a letter to the applicant advising the grounds for refusal of admission to the Institute and advise of alternative pathway options.

APPEAL
If an applicant wishes to appeal the decision regarding their admission, they should refer to the Student Grievance and Appeals Policy.

DEFERRAL
All deferral requests must be based on compelling or compassionate grounds and will be assessed by GLI according to the Changes in Course or Unit Enrolment Policy. After that time, the offer may be withdrawn. International students shall be advised that deferral of their enrolment may affect their visa. Students must request a deferral of the commencement of their course prior to the course commencing by completing a Deferral of Studies Form.

International students should be aware that deferring, suspending, or cancelling enrolment on any grounds may affect their visa.

FEES

• An applicant must lodge an application for admission by the closing date, with specified supporting documentation, and pay any prescribed fees by the due date. Failure to do so may result in cancellation of enrolment.
• Governing Board is authorised to set fees, charges, and impose fines as well as the tuition fee principles and fee limits.

INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS

• International students must meet the requirements of GLI’s English Language Proficiency Policy.
• International students must maintain Overseas Student Health Cover (OSHC) for the student and any of their family dependents accompanying to Australia for the duration of their studies.

International Onshore Students
International onshore students must undertake a full-time study load delivered primarily in face-to-face mode. Special consideration in relation to this requirement must be sought and approved by the relevant Program Director. No more than 33% of a course can be undertaken by online delivery mode.

The following must be completed before an international student can be issued with a CoE:

• Student completes the GLI application form;
• Registrar or delegated representative confirms that the student meets course admission criteria;
• Registrar or delegated representative verifies that the student is a GTE;
• Student pays the first semester’s fees.

Upon successful completion of these steps, the Registrar issues the CoE and adds a new CoE on PRISMS. The Registrar will forward a copy of all relevant CoE/s to the student.

Extension of a CoE
Where the student or GLI has identified that the student will not be able to complete the course by the Proposed Course End Date indicated on the CoE, an extension may be granted for compassionate or compelling circumstances, or where the Program Director has implemented an intervention strategy. The Registrar will record the CoE extension request in PRISMS. Upon the issue of a new CoE from PRISMS, the Registrar will keep a copy in the student’s file and notify the student of the extension plus advise the student to contact the Department of Home Affairs to seek advise on any potential impacts on their visa.

Non-commencement of Study
Where a student does not commence study, the Registrar immediately cancels the student’s CoE and advises the student in writing. Non-commencement is defined as failure to attending class within the first two weeks of semester. If a student has compassionate or compelling circumstances that prevented them from attending classes then an extension may be requested according to the procedure outlined above.

International Onshore Student Transfer

1. Applications for transfer must be made to the Registrar in writing, with relevant documentation attached, including:
   • a valid enrolment offer from the receiving provider; and
   • a letter detailing how the student meets the circumstances in which a transfer will be granted.
2. GLI will respond in writing to the student within 20 working days.
3. If the student is unhappy with GLI’s decision, they can follow the Student Grievance and Appeals Policy.
4. GLI will maintain records of all requests from students for transfer of release, the assessment of, and decision regarding, the request on the student’s file, for two years after the student ceases to be an accepted student.